Jenny Lake Fishing in Saratoga County, New York

• Overview

  Look for Jenny Lake in the Saratoga County part of New York. Lake country bush runs right down to the water. Around 85 acres of surface means several distinct areas to work. Bank access stretches around 1.5 miles in total. For supplies, Corinth is 4.3 miles out. Albany sits 43 miles out, and it is the nearest city worth the name. You are close to a county edge here; who manages the access can change within a short drive.

• Where to Fish on Jenny Lake

  No depth figure has reached our records, which makes a plummet useful. Weed, then depth: that is the order to fish a water of this kind. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Records held for Saratoga County cover brown trout, pumpkinseed, white sucker and common carp. These are county-wide records, so not all of them will be in this water. Jenny Lake fishes better once you know its edges.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 68°F on average, January about 18°F. The season turns properly here, and fish follow it closely. Break-up comes around early April, and the run that follows is short and strong. On the long-run averages the water opens up around early April and starts locking again about mid December. Just after the ice goes and just before it returns, the fishing lifts. Time your trip to Jenny Lake by conditions rather than dates.

• Tackle & Baits

  There is no clear statement anywhere on who can fish it. It formed naturally, so levels move with rainfall rather than with a gate. Access is unmapped, which usually means a farm track and a walk. Bass water: a Texas-rigged worm near cover, a spinnerbait when you need to cover ground. A landowner's word beats anything printed elsewhere. Where parking is tight, arriving early solves most problems. Failing this one, try Hunt Lake, 0.6 miles away. Rules at Jenny Lake are worth checking on the day.